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Anne Owers said facilities at Heathrow for short-term detention of immigrants inadequate

Conditions in five short-term holding facilities for immigration detainees at Heathrow Airport are inadequate with inappropriate language and behaviour in some cases by staff, the prisons watchdog said.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said there had been some limited improvements in the facilities at Heathrow providing for short-term detention of immigrants.

But she said conditions “in general” were inadequate, while at two of the facilities – Terminal 4 and the Queen’s Building – inspectors observed inappropriate staff language and behaviour.

She said though inspectors witnessed positive staff behaviour in both these facilities other staff were heard to refer to detainees as “bodies” and to the holding rooms as “pens”.

In the Queen’s Building, she said a Palestinian man broke down in tears after an immigration and a custody officer behaved in a “confrontational, argumentative and unprofessional way” towards him. Another detainee who had apparently lost his shoes while sleeping on chairs was seen being told by an immigration officer that he did not need shoes in the hot country to which he was returning.

The Queen’s Building mainly holds people being removed after having spent some time in the UK. The other facilities at the four Heathrow terminals largely cater for people who have just arrived and are being questioned or have been refused entry.

The five facilities account for a “significant” proportion of short-term immigration detention, the report noted.

Ms Owers said inspectors found some “positive developments” with improvements in the environment, more for detainees to do and better supervision.

They were particularly pleased that there was now “regular independent monitoring” and in three of the facilities, inspectors saw “good and supportive” relationships between staff and detainees.

But she said there were “serious weaknesses” including inappropriate facilities with detainees sleeping on the floor on improvised bedding at Queen’s Building.